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Northern Research Station
One Gifford Pinchot Drive
Madison, WI 53726
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People and Their Environments

People and Their Environments: Social Science Supporting Natural Resource Management and Policy

[images] Five images, from left to right, A woman hugging a newly-planted evergreen shrub; A GIS (geographic information system) of urban tree canopy; A man checking a map on a fire information bulletin board; A proud angler holding up a big fish; People toting wheelbarrows at an urban ecological restoration site

As human populations increase in size, extent, and diversity, natural resource planners and policymakers must address growing concerns about a wide range of environments.  To make the best decisions – for people and for nature – they need information about how people and natural environments influence each other in rural and urban areas and everywhere in between. That is the focus of the People and Their Environments research unit.

Staffed with social scientists from a wide range of backgrounds, People and Their Environments is one of only a few Forest Service research work units that studies the human component of natural resource management. Our expertise ranges across the social science disciplines: economics, psychology, geography, sociology, and related fields like landscape architecture, recreation, and planning.

Our Research Areas

Recent Publications

  • Yemshanov, Denys ; Haight, Robert G.; Rempel, Rob ; Liu, Ning ; Koch, Frank H.  2021.   Protecting wildlife habitat in managed forest landscapesHow can network connectivity models help?.  Natural Resource Modeling
  • Kliskey, Andrew ; Williams, Paula ; Griffith, David L.; Dale, Virginia H.; Schelly, Chelsea ; Marshall, Anna-Maria ; Gagnon, Valoree S.; Eaton, Weston M.; Floress, Kristin  2021.   Thinking Big and Thinking Small: A Conceptual Framework for Best Practices in Community and Stakeholder Engagement in Food, Energy, and Water Systems.  Sustainability
  • Warziniack, Travis ; Haight, Robert G.; Yemshanov, Denys ; Apriesnig, Jenny L.; Holmes, Thomas P.; Countryman, Amanda M.; Rothlisberger, John D.; Haberland, Christopher  2021.   Economics of Invasive Species.  In: Poland, Therese M.; Patel-Weynand, Toral; Finch, Deborah M.; Ford Miniat, Chelcy; Hayes, Deborah C.; Lopez, Vanessa M., eds. Invasive Species in Forests and Rangelands of the United States: A Comprehensive Science Synthesis for the United States Forest Sector. Heidelberg, Germany: Springer International Publishing: 305 - 320. Chapter 14.
  • Schelhas, John ; Alexander, Janice ; Brunson, Mark ; Cabe, Tommy ; Crall, Alycia ; Dockry, Michael J.; Emery, Marla R.; Frankel, Susan J.; Hapner, Nina ; Hickman, Caleb R.; Jordan, Rebecca ; LaVoie, Michael J.; Ma, Zhao ; Starinchak, Joe ; Vukomanovic, Jelena  2021.   Social and Cultural Dynamics of Non-native Invasive Species.  In: Poland, Therese M.; Patel-Weynand, Toral; Finch, Deborah M.; Ford Miniat, Chelcy; Hayes, Deborah C.; Lopez, Vanessa M., eds. Invasive Species in Forests and Rangelands of the United States: A Comprehensive Science Synthesis for the United States Forest Sector. Heidelberg, Germany: Springer International Publishing: 267 - 292. Chapter 12.
  • Marsh, Anne S.; Hayes, Deborah C.; Klein, Patrice N.; Zimmerman, Nicole ; Dalsimer, Aliso ; Burkett, Douglas A.; Huebner, Cynthia D.; Rabaglia, Robert ; Meyerson, Laura A.; Harper-Lore, Bonnie L.; Davidson, Jamie L.; Emery, Marla R.; Warziniack, Travis ; Flitcroft, Rebecca ; Kerns, Becky K.; Lopez, Vanessa M.  2021.   Sectoral Impacts of Invasive Species in the United States and Approaches to Management.  In: Poland, Therese M.; Patel-Weynand, Toral; Finch, Deborah M.; Ford Miniat, Chelcy; Hayes, Deborah C.; Lopez, Vanessa M., eds. Invasive Species in Forests and Rangelands of the United States: A Comprehensive Science Synthesis for the United States Forest Sector. Heidelberg, Germany: Springer International Publishing: 203 - 230. Chapter 9.
  • Snyder, Stephanie A.; Floress, Kristin ; Vokoun, Melinda  2021.   Does having a hunter identity influence land management behaviors of family forest owners?.  Human Dimensions of Wildlife
  • Watts, Andrea ; Kline, Jeff ; Haight, Robert  2021.   Planting trees to mitigate climate change: Policy incentives could lead to increased carbon sequestration.  Science Findings 236. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 5 p.
  • Goddard, Mark A.; Davies, Zoe G.; Guenat, Solne ; Ferguson, Mark J.; Fisher, Jessica C.; Akanni, Adeniran ; Ahjokoski, Teija ; Anderson, Pippin M. L.; Angeoletto, Fabio ; Antoniou, Constantinos ; Bates, Adam J.; Barkwith, Andrew ; Berland, Adam ; Bouch, Christopher J.; Rega-Brodsky, Christine C.; Byrne, Loren B.; Cameron, David ; Canavan, Rory ; Chapman, Tim ; Connop, Stuart ; Crossland, Steve ; Dade, Marie C.; Dawson, David A.; Dobbs, Cynnamon ; Downs, Colleen T.; Ellis, Erle C.; Escobedo, Francisco J.; Gobster, Paul ; Gulsrud, Natalie Marie; Guneralp, Burak ; Hahs, Amy K.; Hale, James D.; Hassall, Christopher ; Hedblom, Marcus ; Hochuli, Dieter F.; Inkinen, Tommi ; Ioja, Ioan-Cristian ; Kendal, Dave ; Knowland, Tom ; Kowarik, Ingo ; Langdale, Simon J.; Lerman, Susannah B.; MacGregor-Fors, Ian ; Manning, Peter ; Massini, Peter ; McLean, Stacey ; Mkwambisi, David D.; Ossola, Alessandro ; Luque, Gabriel Prez; Prez-Urrestarazu, Luis ; Perini, Katia ; Perry, Gad ; Pett, Tristan J.; Plummer, Kate E.; Radji, Raoufou A.; Roll, Uri ; Potts, Simon G.; Rumble, Heather ; Sadler, Jon P.; de Saille, Stevienna ; Sautter, Sebastian ; Scott, Catherine E.; Shwartz, Assaf ; Smith, Tracy ; Snep, Robbert P. H.; Soulsbury, Carl D.; Stanley, Margaret C.; Van de Voorde, Tim ; Venn, Stephen J.; Warren, Philip H.; Washbourne, Carla-Leanne ; Whitling, Mark ; Williams, Nicholas S. G.; Yang, Jun ; Yeshitela, Kumelachew ; Yocom, Ken P.; Dallimer, Martin  2021.   A global horizon scan of the future impacts of robotics and autonomous systems on urban ecosystems.  Nature Ecology & Evolution
  • Koch, Frank H.; Yemshanov, Denys ; Haight, Robert G.; MacQuarrie, Chris J.K.; Liu, Ning ; Venette, Robert ; Ryall, Krista  2020.   Optimal invasive species surveillance in the real world: practical advances from research.  Emerging Topics in Life Sciences
  • Yemshanov, Denys ; Haight, Robert G.; MacQuarrie, Chris J. K.; Koch, Frank H.; Liu, Ning ; Venette, Robert ; Ryall, Krista  2020.   Optimal planning of multi-day invasive species surveillance campaigns.  Ecological Solutions and Evidence

Last Modified: 06/07/2016